Excerpts from the news conference Wednesday held by New Jersey owner Mikhail Prokhorov, commenting on why he pulled out of the Carmelo Anthony sweepstakes, and comments from Nets' general manager Billy King:

Prokhorov's opening statement

"I'm not happy with the way . . . this deal has gone until now. It has taken too long. It has been played out in public, and it certainly has taken a toll on the players and I believe that it has cost us several games. I think management did a great job, but there comes a time when the price is simply too expensive. I'm instructing our team to walk away from the deal. Our meeting with Carmelo tomorrow is hearby canceled."

Q: The factors in making the decision?

"It's my own decision. They had a very good proposal. They probably did their best to protect their interests."

Q: Did you know if Carmelo was willing to come here?

"I never met with Carmelo and I never spoke with him. Maybe he sent me an e-mail, but really I don't use computers. Maybe that's why I missed it. Or maybe the carrier pigeon got lost. Who knows?"

Q: Why not continue to negotiate?

"Everything was too complicated to continue. I never got solid information (from Anthony). My goal is not to meet with the players; it's to organize the procedure. It's been too long and too expensive."

Q: Whether he received negative information that derailed the trade?

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"I never received any negative information. But there was no direct information. It's my feeling of strategy."

Q: Do the Nuggets know the trade is dead?

"No. You're the first to know."

Q: Any chance of the deal being revived?

"I was absolutely clear on this matter."

King's opening statement

"We discussed it and this is what he came up with. It was (Prokhorov's) idea.

"There were a lot of names thrown out there, every player on our roster except Brook (Lopez). . . . Hearing your name bantered around every day, whether it's true or not, is not a good part of the business.

"We'll get back on the phones, see what's out there."

Q: The difficulty in completing a trade?

"It was just, the process was different. They had an ownership takeover, new management. It was the perfect storm for something to go wrong. . . . This time, it took on a life of its own."

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